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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. object — a thing
  8. mate — a partner
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wax — to grow
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. object — to protest
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mate — a friend
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. mate — to breed
  22. object — an aim
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com